When I’m looking for an easy meal that will please both kids and adults alike, I turn to baked spaghetti, lasagna roll ups, or these ultra cheesy stuffed shells.
Stuffed Shells Ingredients
When you make these stuffed shells you will need jumbo pasta shells, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Italian seasoning, an egg, parmesan cheese, marinara sauce, parsley, salt and black pepper. Enjoy these shells with side dishes like garlic knots, prosciutto wrapped asparagus or Italian salad.
How Do You Make Stuffed Shells?
Start this stuffed shells recipe by boiling your pasta shells. While the shells cook, prepare the filling by mixing together ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, along with seasonings and egg in a large bowl. Use a spoon or piping bag to fill each cooked shell with the cheese mixture. Next, pour a layer of marinara sauce into the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange the shells on top of the sauce. Spoon more marinara sauce over the shells, then sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Bake the pasta covered for 20 minutes, remove the cover and bake until browned and bubbly. Add a sprinkle of fresh parsley, then serve and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Stuffed Shells
I prefer to use whole milk ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, but if you’re looking to save a few calories, you can use part skim. Skip the pre-shredded bags of cheese and grate your own cheese instead. I find that the pre-grated cheeses at the store tend to be coated with anti-caking agents and preservatives, and do not melt as smoothly. Feel free to use store bought marinara sauce or you can make your own homemade marinara sauce. If you purchase marinara sauce, choose a high quality jarred marinara sauce. I typically use Newman’s Own, Rao’s or Classico brands. Purchase an Italian seasoning mix or make your own Italian seasoning with herbs like basil, oregano, parsley and thyme. You can assemble this dish up to 8 hours before you plan to bake it. Cover the dish with foil and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to eat. You may need to add another 10 minutes to the baking time to compensate for starting with chilled pasta.
Flavor Variations
This is a classic version of baked shells with a cheese filling, but you can add a variety of ingredients to this dish to customize it to your taste.
Protein: Stir 8 ounces of cooked crumbled ground beef, Italian sausage or ground turkey into the cheese mixture. You can also try using shredded cooked chicken. Vegetables: Add up to 1 cup of veggies to the cheese filling such as spinach, mushrooms, onions, red bell peppers, broccoli, zucchini or kale. Make sure to finely chop the vegetables and cook them before they go into the mix. Sauce: Swap out the marinara sauce for creamy Alfredo sauce or use a hearty bolognese style meat sauce instead. Cheese: You can use other types of cheese instead of the three I’ve listed, such as cream cheese, small curd cottage cheese, provolone, fontina, asiago or romano. Garlic: Feel free to add two teaspoons of minced garlic to your cheese filling.
Give these stuffed shells a try! They are easy to make and a real crowd-pleaser that will have everyone asking for more!
Stuffed Shells Video
